Twilight Circus
by saltandburnit
Summary: "He watched as they smiled and they waved, a little more dead inside each time, a little piece of hope ripped from them every second… " AU.


_**Twilight Circus**_

**Summary:** He watched as they smiled and they waved, a little more dead inside each time, a little piece of hope ripped from them every second…

* * *

Perhaps he shouldn't have come. He couldn't remember why he had been inclined to visit in the first place. But as he stared, a little unnerved at the large tent in front of him, the man was certain this was a bad idea.

It looked almost threatening, bathed as it was in the deep orange color of the sky. Completely abandoned on the outside, yet sounds and voices and music could be heard from the inside, like a whole new world was hidden somewhere in there. The setting sun cast long shadows upon it, darkening most of it. Even that, even the time of day sent an eerie sensation.

Yet for some reason, despite feeling this way, the man decided to go in. He had, after all, come all the way out here to see it. It would be a shame to leave without unraveling the mysteries inside. His boots made a crunching sound when they made contact with dry grass and twigs. Funnily enough, that sound, being solitary like that, upset him more than the sight around him. It gave a feeling of seclusion from the world. And no one, not even him, wanted to be truly alone.

With a deep breath, a strong hand pulled aside the fabric and he stepped inside the so called circus.

A cacophony of sounds was the first that hit him, along with a strong scent of animals and cheap carnival snacks. To his surprise, they were more than a lot people here, filling every space. Loud voices, yells, laughter rang in his eyes and he had to fight the urge to tell them all to shut up. Children ran around everywhere, going from one performance to another, seeing as instead of someone placed at the center stage, members of the circus were giving their shows simultaneously at different spots. Some of them, like clowns and jesters and animal trainers were unexpectedly easy to ignore, at least for him. No, his eyes caught other details. Other anomalies in this troupe.

Somehow he found himself near the canteen; only then did he realize how hungry he was. He frowned in distaste at the one in charge though. He never really liked smokers and that blond seemed annoying enough without adding that particular habit to top it all. What truly caught his attention however, was the curliness of his eyebrow. Was he supposed to be a member of the show as well, but ended up serving as a temporary cook?

Something was trying to make his way into his pocket and instinctively he grabbed it. Surely enough, a poor woman had tried to steal his money. Most likely hired by the circus itself to steal from their visitors. Big brown eyes looked at him curiously, but she wasn't upset by what had happened, not even afraid. Instead, she gave him a polite smile and left quietly. Somehow taking his wallet with her. Shit. Yet the man could have sworn he had seen a silent request in those eyes. One he couldn't truly understand.

Fire flared to his right and after realizing getting back his money was nearly impossible, he turned to watch with interest. A fire juggler was giving his own performance nearby, the audience around him exclaiming occasionally at the more intense and dangerous parts. Studying him more carefully, the man realized that the juggler couldn't have been more than a year older than himself, with a freckled face completely unemotional and cold as ice. Even so, he thought he saw a spark of anger, when those pitch black eyes turned his way.

While that show was indeed impressive, he soon lost interest and decided to wander around some more. His eyes widened a fracture at the next performer. For all matters and purposes, the person in front of him looked like an animal. A reindeer to be exact. But somehow it was talking with a human voice. Children of all ages had gathered around… it, paying more attention to its cuteness than its talent. For a moment pity filled him for the poor thing. It was clear even to him that the little reindeer was uncomfortable like this.

Sweet music came to his ears and instantly he searched for the source of it. Merely a few seconds ago he had believed that the talking animal would be the most unique thing in here. Yet here he was face to face with an actual skeleton playing the violin. What sort of trickery was this? Deciding he wasn't going to riddle his mind with it, the man left both the skeleton and his depressing melody behind.

A storyteller caught his eye next. Arms moved frantically, giving some insane story or other a little more excitement, even if by the sight of the audience's mesmerized faces, it clearly wasn't needed. As he wasn't a big fan of storytellers, he left immediately, but not without letting out a little laugh at the man's nose.

Another juggler was soon in front of him, this time a normal one and a woman at that. A long black fringe covered her eyes, making her unreachable to the world, hiding away from it all. That was how she did her show and nobody seemed to mind. To say she was impressive would be an understatement. Her hands moved so fast, one could think she had more than two of them.

For the younger children, the circus had provided what looked suspiciously like a robot. He felt the urge to hit himself. Or at least the manager of this show. Preferably the second one. Really, how did that fit in with everything else? But soon he understood the robot wasn't there just to be. His metal hands worked with surprising accuracy as he created something that was hidden from view by the children's heads. Shaking his head in disbelief, he kept on going, towards the center stage.

That was when he spotted him.

Obviously one of the most popular performances, judging from the amount of people gathered around him was a young boy, no older than seventeen, hired here for his flexibility. With his happy attitude and bright smile, he was a joy to be around and the visitors felt drawn to him like flies to the light. Curiosity taking over, the man made his way over there as well.

This boy was different from the rest. Everyone worked here to their fullest, giving all they had in their performances. But none of them were happy. That much was obvious to even the most oblivious of fools. They smiled and they laughed and they did their jobs, but none of them were truly happy.

So why was this kid smiling?

The raven haired boy was laughing with another child, twisting his limbs around his body in ways that should have been impossible. Once the kid was satisfied, the performer scanned the crowd briefly, until his eyes fell on _him_. The smile faltered slightly and the end of his mouth twitched as if he couldn't quite bring himself to do it again.

The man didn't know why the boy had chosen him of all people. However he knew that he was about to know something that he had not and never would have asked.

Wide, obsidian eyes softened in pleading, brows furrowing. His expression looked pained and the man found himself unable to look away. He followed those eyes as they settled on each of the members he noticed. This time he lingered, really noticing them.

He watched as they smiled and they waved, a little more dead inside each time, a little piece of hope ripped from them every second… These people were not here by will. And this kid wasn't happy. He was trying to keep them alive.

When he settled back to watching the rubber man, a fist clenched tightly at the expression he wore. It was hurting and pleading and impossible to deny all at the same time. An unspoken request traveled between their eyes, louder and clearer than it would have been if dared to be voiced. _Help me save them. Please._

Sympathy filled his heart for the boy, so young yet so desperate to save his friends. Even so… this was not his responsibility or his problem and he wasn't sure he could be of help anyway. So with an apologetic smile, he turned his back on him and headed to the exit.

A hand grabbed his shoulder abruptly and forcibly made him look. As he was face to face with the young boy, it was impossible not to see the seriousness in his eyes. The younger one was set and determined to get out of there, but he couldn't do it without his help. And he wasn't taking no for an answer.

If only it had been up to him.

Tall, bulky men, working for the circus as some kind of security, roughly took hold of the rubber boy's arms and painfully tore him away from the visitor. The visitor who didn't miss the way those black eyes widen in fear at the sight of those men.

The atmosphere tensed as the boy was dragged away in front of all those people. All performances stopped and everyone turned to look. The man couldn't help but notice how his friends froze in terror and the horrified look the fire juggler wore at the sight of the kid being handled like that. A different member of the troupe actually had a hold on the freckled man as if he was going to go save him the moment that grip loosened. Then again, he probably was.

He didn't want to think what would happen to the kid. He wanted to pretend he didn't hear the thieving woman crying in fear for the boy's well being. He wanted to pretend he didn't see the pleading looks each and every one of them gave him as he walked out, leaving them and the brave boy behind. He wanted to pretend this never happened.

It was pitch black when he walked outside. Midnight. He walked away without a glance back.

By morning they were all gone. As if they never even existed.

But they did. He was sure of it.

The boy's face would forever haunt him in his dreams. Always pleading. Always protecting. Always ignored.

Perhaps he shouldn't have come.

* * *

A/N: I can almost hear the collective _"what?"_ coming from you. I don't even know. I needed a break from TLTF and this has been stuck in my head for quite a while. It's a little (maybe a lot) OOC, but I think it's decent enough. It was a little different so please tell me what you thought of it! Thanks :)


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